You Owe Them Nothing
by Camflip
Summary: Expanded and slightly alternate opening scene from episode 1x17 Manhunter, involving the bank robbery montage that Kara is watching on the TV. The people of National City are scared of Supergirl. Can she win or earn their trust back? What does she owe these people? Complete.
**This was something that popped into my head after watching the last Supergirl episode, 1x17 Manhunter. This takes some elements from the upcoming Batman v Superman movie that I saw in one of the trailers. Please enjoy and feel free to leave critiques!**

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The flecks of dust hung in the midmorning light streaming through the high windows of the lobby. Several people waited in the teller line of the West National City Bank, heads buried in their phones. One man scanned a news article on his iPhone detailing the latest exploits of National City's resident alien, Supergirl. The title read, _Supergirl: Heroine or Menace._ The tellers were busily typing away at their keyboards and talking with the customers that stood in front of them. Checks and money were changing hands during the morning rush.

Four men dressed in dark clothing rushed through the front doors of the bank wearing knit caps and bandanas around their faces. There were immediately shouting frantic commands at the people inside the building and waving black handguns into the air.

"Get on the ground! Get down or I'll kill you!" one of the men was screaming. Frozen, people stood stunned, blinking in disbelief. Several shots rang out as one of the robbers fired shots into the air from his handgun. This sent the people diving to the floor and yelping in horror. Two of the men rushed towards the teller counters and jumped over to the employee side, sending the bank workers scrambling towards the back wall of the building. The men began emptying the cash from the drawers into backpacks. As she was scrambling to get away, one of the female tellers tripped and fell into the corner of desk, striking the side of her head. She was immediately knocked unconscious and blood began pouring from beneath her auburn hair.

"Chrissy!" a woman shouted as she started crawling towards her injured friend.

"Don't move! Stay back!" one of the men yelled as he rushed up and shoved his gun into the woman's face. She instinctively recoiled and looked up at the man.

"Just take the money and go!" she snarled at him. His brown eyes were wild as he stared at the woman from behind his bandana. The sound of tires squealing outside of the building drew his attention away from the defiant teller and he stepped to the side and peered out of one of the windows.

"Cops! The cops are here!" he shouted to the other men. "Damnit, let's get moving, now!" He looked back at the insolent woman on ground and lunged towards her. He grabbed her hair and ripped her from the ground. "Get up! You're coming with us!" She grabbed the man's arm and tried to resist, but he overpowered her pushing her around the counter towards the door.

"Get your hands off me, you bastard!" she growled at the man as she gnashed her teeth. The other men all grabbed employees and patrons as shields and moved towards the exit. They could hear sirens blare just outside of the building in all directions.

"When we get out, move quickly towards the car," the man barked to the other hooligans. They burst out of the door into the sunlight. They were immediately met with screaming commands from police officers in all directions which caused them to halt on the steps of the bank. The officers had formed a semicircle of patrol vehicles around the front of the building, cutting off all avenues of escape for the criminals. Several heavily armed SWAT officers were running up to the fray from down the block. The police officers shouted commands from behind their rifles and handguns.

A loud crack overpowered the cacophony as a woman landed forcefully and crouched on the sidewalk in front of the bank, between the criminals and police. The concrete cracked and splintered under the violence of her landing. A long red cape flowed from her shoulders and draped on the ground, straightening as she slowly stood. She lowered her head and scowled at the criminals.

"Supergirl! It's Supergirl! She'll kill us!" voices shouted from the crowd that was gathering behind the police officers. The robbers froze in fear and stared back at the alien in front of them. They released their hostages and dropped their guns as they slumped to their knees. Their hands raised in surrender and several of the robbers pulled the bandanas down from their faces. The hostages also cowered next to the robbers and raised their hands as they stared at the woman in the red cape with terror in their faces. Both the robbers and hostages shuffled to the side and ran around her, desperate to get away from the woman.

Pain flashed across the alien's face as she watched those that she was trying to save terrified and desperate to get away from her. People used to call her name and thank God for her arrival. Now they feared her more than any criminal in the city. _They're desperate to get away from me. They absolutely abhor me,_ Supergirl thought. She slowly turned and watched as the people ran away. She looked past the police cars and could see police and SWAT officers, dread in their eyes as they laid their weapons down in submission to her. Several also fell to their knees with their hands in air. She dipped her head in despair and let out a long sigh. She looked back up as a flurry of people were running down the block away from the scene. Movement drew her attention to the right as she turned her head and saw a police officer slowly walking towards her, a rifle shouldered, and at the ready. He was all alone, the rest of the officers had fled. Supergirl turned to face the man, trying to assume the least threatening pose she could. She unclenched her fists and allowed her arms to fall completely to her side.

"I don't want to fight you," she said to the officer.

"I know. If you wanted it, we all be dead already" the officer said as he stepped within a few feet of her. He lowered the rifle from his shoulder and let the weapon hang from the sling. He was a middle-aged man of average build, who was well experienced as a police officer. He was doing his best to put up a confident front and hide the anxiety that was surging in his body. "They're scared of you," he said looking over to the people and police fleeing down the block.

"Yes, they are. I really screwed up," she replied. "I can only hope to one day regain everyone's trust. To convince them that I love this city and want to protect it." She looked back at the officer standing in front of her, "you're not afraid of me."

"I'm quite scared, Supergirl," the officer said as he could see the disappointment creep into her face. "But, I also think that there is more to the story than you suddenly turning on all of us."

"There is," she replied quickly. "I wasn't myself. Something had happened to my min-"

"I don't need to know," the officer cut her off, raising a hand. "You don't owe me an explanation. You don't owe any of us an explanation." Supergirl just blinked at the man. "The way I see it, people hate what they don't understand. They fear what is foreign to them. You can be our hero, our angel, our monument. You can be anything we need you to be. Or none of it. You don't owe this city a thing. You never did."

"I want to protect this city," she said after a moment. "It's all I've ever wanted."

"Then in spite of people's ignorance and fear, you can intervene and help whenever a plight arises. Praise and recognition are not something that change the outcome of a bad situation. That being said, please know that there are still those of us who appreciate what you do," the officer said. "I do think that people will eventually come around, you just keep doing what you do."

"And what do I do?" Supergirl said.

"You turn the impossible into possible," the officer said. "Whether people are scared of you or wish you would go away, there is no denying the good that you do in this city. If you keep being a force for good, people will come around."

"Thank you for believing in me," she replied.

"Thank you for believing in us," the officer said.

They looked at each other for a moment. "I should probably get going," she finally said.

"Of course," the officer said. "Take care, and good luck."

Supergirl slowly lifted off of the ground and floated momentarily above the sidewalk. "Thanks," she said and smiled at the police officer. He smiled back. She looked up towards the sky and she could feel the energy build in her body and then surge as she bolted skyward and rapidly gained altitude and speed.

The officer stood on the sidewalk and watched her disappear from view as she flew away. He lowered his head and looked around. There were very few people on the block, but several had seen his interaction with Supergirl. _She'll be all right_ , he thought to himself. Whether people wanted her help or not, he had a feeling that she would be there when the city needed her most. Besides, he knew what it was like to serve and protect the ungrateful and unappreciative.

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 **Thanks for reading and take care!**


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